New York Islanders Select Six in 2021 NHL Draft
Jul 25, 2021The New York Islanders, National Hockey League affiliate of the Bridgeport Islanders, selected six players during the 2021 NHL Draft. Forwards Aatu Räty (52nd overall), Cameron Berg (125th) and Eetu Liukas (157th), defensemen Aleksi Malinen (189th) and Tomas Machu (221st), and goaltender Tristan Lennox (93rd) were selected in rounds two through seven.
Each player has the potential to join the Bridgeport Islanders at some point over the next several seasons.
Räty, 18, has 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games with Kärpät’s under-20 team in Finland’s under-20 SM-liiga and 10 points (five goals, five assists) through two seasons with Kärpät of Finland’s Liiga. In 2020-21, he recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in 35 games for Kärpät and made his Liiga postseason debut. A native of Oulu, Finland, Räty helped his country to a silver medal in the 2019 under-17 World Hockey Challenge and represented Finland at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The Islanders selected the 6’2”, 185-pound forward with their first selection of the 2021 NHL Draft in the second round, 52nd overall.
Lennox, 18, posted an .876 save percentage, 3.63 goals against average and 20-8-3 record in 33 games played in 2019-20 for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Ottawa, Ontario native helped lead Canada to a silver medal in the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting a .951 save percentage and 0.95 goals against average through three games. The Islanders selected the 6’4”, 190-pound goaltender in the third round, 93rd overall.
Berg, 19, recorded 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) through 51 games last season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Among all USHL skaters in 2020-21, the West Fargo, North Dakota native finished seventh in both points and goals. Over three seasons in the USHL, Berg has 102 points (50 goals, 52 assists) and a plus-20 rating. The Islanders selected the 5’11”, 192-pound forward in the fourth round, 125th overall. Berg is committed to play college hockey at the University of Nebraska - Omaha next season.
Liukas, 18, recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in 19 games with Turun Palloseura (TPS) of Finland’s Liiga and four points (two goals, two assists) in five games for TPS’s under-20 team. In 2019-20, he recorded 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) through 47 games with TPS U20 and ranked in the top 10 among TPS skaters in points (8th), assists (9th), goals (t-4th) and plus-minus rating (plus-10, t-4th). The Turku, Finland native represented his country at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The Islanders selected the 6’2”, 198-pound forward in the fifth round, 157th overall.
Malinen, 18, recorded three points (two goals, one assist) through 30 games last season with JYP Jyväskylä in his debut season in Finland’s Liiga. The Tuusula, Finland native represented his country at the 2019 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and 2021 Under-18 World Championship, where he recorded one goal through seven games. The Islanders selected the 6’0”, 176-pound defenseman in the sixth round, 189th overall.
Machu, 18, recorded two goals through 17 games last season between HC Prerov and Draci Sumperk of the Czech Republic’s Czech2 league. He also appeared in five games with HC Vitkovice’s in Czech’s under-20 league, where he posted seven assists and a team-high plus-10 rating. The Ostrava, Czech Republic native helped his country to a bronze medal at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The Islanders selected the 6’4”, 189-pound defenseman in the seventh round, 221st overall.